Story/testimonial tips

<Images and videos can really bring case studies to life>

Telling the story

The story is most effective when told from the point of the view of the beneficiary. A direct narrative from someone whose life has changed will be compelling and inspiring. Your impact will be clear, real and engaging. The story should have three key parts:

The case study's initial situation and challenges

What happened to change things

Where they are now as a result. This might include new hopes for the future

Grab the reader

You need to get the reader's attention in the first sentence/paragraph; background info can come in later if necessary. Make your readers want to read on to find out what happened / the full story, using, for example:

emotion

intrigue

shock

surprise

Keep it real / unique

Small, real-life details make a big difference in ensuring your case study stands out as an individual and remains in the memory. They bring life and interest to the story and help affirm how genuine it is. Don't get so bogged down in detail that you forget the story, though! Even just a touch of detail can turn a dull sentence into a vibrant image.

Edit quotes

You don't need to quote people to the word. As long as you keep their general words and, most importantly, retain the meaning of what they're saying, be prepared to tidy up the language. This will help the story read better and have more impact.

<IDEAS FOR CALLS TO ACTION>

Make the most of your inspiring case studies to push visitors to your site towards your most important goals, tying them in with the story. For example:

1 in 8 women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. In partnership with Breast Cancer UK we want to raise £90,000 to fund an innovative research project that will help us to prevent the disease in more people in the future.

We rely on our amazing fundraisers to raise funds in their community to fund our ground-breaking and innovative animal free research. Our fundraising groups across the UK are the perfect place to share fundraising and volunteering ideas, network with other supporters in your area, organise fundraising events and meet up. Find a group near you.

The ARC, at the Blizard Institute QMUL, will provide a unique environment for scientists to work together to develop human-based models of skin, breast and prostate cancer, replacing mouse models. It also aims to inspire the next generation of scientists through education about animal free research.

In 2015, the number of animals used for the first time in procedures for scientific purposes was 4.07 million (4,069,349). The number of procedures that were conducted on animals is slightly higher at 4.14 million (4,142,631). These numbers, over the past few years have remained fairly similar with both the number of animals used and the number of procedures conducted hovering around the 4 million mark consistently.

With your help, we can free animals from laboratories for good.Our work is funded entirely by your generous support. Your donation helps to fund some of the most advanced and successful human-related techniques in many areas of medical research including cancer, Alzheimer's, asthma, heart and liver disease.

The use of animals in experimentation and testing in the UK is regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, known as ASPA. This Act states the legal provisions that have been created for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific purposes.